Gardegan-et-Tourtirac

Gardegan-et-Tourtirac is a town of the Great Saint-Emilion Area and part of the Canton of Coteaux de Dordogne. It is located 20 km east of Libourne and 11 km from Saint-Emilion. Its area is 960 ha. Today the town has 302 inhabitants, and they are known as Gardeganais and Gardeganaises.

A bit of history…

Origin of the name

The name of the town originates from a guard post of the castle of La Pierrière, which was linked to the powerful Segur family. The municipality was born from the merger of Gardegan-et-Tourtirac.

History

Gardegan-et-Tourtirac is a wine growing municipality which seems to have been inhabited since prehistoric times.

During the Revolution, the Saint Martin Parish of Gardegan form the town of Gardegan and Saint-Pierre Parish of Tourtirac joined together to form the municipality of Tourtirac. In the year IX (1800), the town of Tourtirac was linked to Gardegan and became Gardegan-et-Tourtirac.

The powerful Segur family strengthened the position of Gardegan and built the castles of Pitray and La Pierrière. It is likely that the castle of La Pierrière was the guardhouse of Gardegan in the 13th century.

A natural heritage

The municipality contains about 1 km of river, mainly including Lidoire and Lechout.

Vineyards…

Gardegan-et-Tourtirac produces a wine of the appellation Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux.

Points of interest:

The Saint Martin Church is a Romanesque church with a Poitevin style façade, a portal with bare arches and a single nave. It is listed historic monument. Above the door there are capitals that adorn the heart. The bell and its square bell tower date from 1741.

The Saint-Pierre Church dates from the 12th century, is a fortified church. It has a paneled nave, with a dome on pendants, a vaulted apse-dome and a square bell tower. It is a Romanesque building inspired by the local spirit. The church was degraded during the Religious Wars in the 16th century.

The Château of Pitray, classified as a historic monument, was built in 1868 on the site of old houses from the 15th century, it has a Gothic-Renaissance style as interpreted by Viollet-le-Duc. It was designed by the Bordeaux architect Alphonse Blanquière. The surrounding park is designed around the same time, with majestic trees that form a green screen. The Pitray land belonged for a long time to the Segur family. The large park was designed by the Bordeaux nurseryman Jean Escarpit.

Dolmen located on the wine estate of the Château Pitray, consists of two vertical stones supporting one or more big slabs and were called tables, now it has disappeared.

Château La Perriere built in the Middle Ages, has undergone several changes since. Its moat is on the site of an ancient monolithic cellar. It was enlarged in the 17th century by the family Lageard, by adding a large courtyard and a chapel. In 1867, a neo-Gothic tower is built at an angle. Today, banana trees decorate the courtyard and the castle which give it an exotic touch.

The Saint Emilion Golf Club designed by the architect Tom Doak, it is a 5-star golf consisting of 18 holes. More information here.